For many applications, the determination or knowledge of the location of a first component or tool relative a first member is vital. For example, during machining or cutting of members in various manufacturing processes, it is required that the exact position of the cutting head or tool be known relative to the member being cut or tooled. In that way, the appropriate cuts or tooling can occur on the member being tooled to form the precise tolerances required for the particular member being formed.
For example, on a lathe or cutting machine, a member may be placed relative to a cutting head. The cutting head is then moved relative the fixed member to cut the member. The position of the cutting head relative the member during the cutting procedure must be known to ensure that the member being cut is cut to the desired size or tolerances. This is particularly important for automated or robotic devices, where the cuts are being made by a pre-programmed system. The system must know the position of the tool relative the member to create the proper cut. Therefore, being able to program or select a desired orientation of a cutting head relative to a member being cut or tooled and being able to determine that the appropriate or selected size or distance has been achieved is required.
One means of determining a location of a cutting head or tool relative to a member is to position the member in a known location and move the cutting head a distance from the known location. Therefore, a rule, scale, or encoder can be used to determine the distance of the cutting head relative the fixed location. Therefore, the distance of the cutting head or the position of the cutting head relative the member positioned at the fixed point is known.
Many members and the machining tools are subjected to relatively harsh environments. Therefore, many of the components and sensors used to determine the position of a cutting head are generally exposed or at least partially exposed to the environment of the cutting or machining booth. Often, the turnings from a lathe or other chips or debris can become lodged in the various components of the automated device and disrupt the operation thereof.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a system or assembly which can substantially eliminate disruption of the various components that can determine the location of the cutting head or tool head relative to the member being worked upon. Specifically, it is desired to provide mechanisms and assemblies which can protect and substantially enclose the components for determining the position of the tool or cutting head relative to the member being worked.